OpenSSLFramework / library
CVE-2026-35188
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIssue summary: A malicious server can exploit TLS OCSP stapling by delivering a crafted response through the status_request extension, triggering a double-free in the client's certificate verification path. Impact summary: Successful exploitation allows an attacker to corrupt heap memory via a double-free, potentially leading to a Denial of Service or possibly an attacker controlled code execution or other undefined behavior. If OCSP stapling is enabled and the TLS client connects to a malicious server, a crafted OCSP stapled response can trigger a double free in the TLS client when the stapled response is checked. The OCSP stapling is not enabled by default. Reliable code execution through a double-free is technically complex and highly environment-dependent but the Denial of Service impact is straightforward to achieve, warranting Moderate severity. No FIPS modules are affected by this issue as the affected code is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysisThe same block of memory is freed twice, corrupting the allocator's bookkeeping in ways an attacker can shape toward code execution. It usually stems from tangled ownership of a pointer. The fix is clear, single ownership of each allocation and clearing pointers once they are freed.
General guidance for the double free class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
OpenSSLFramework / library
>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.3= 4.0.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped3.6.3
OpenSSL 3.6.3 (for 3.x branch) or OpenSSL 4.0.1 (for 4.x branch)
- 1. Identify the current OpenSSL version using: openssl version -a
- 2. For OpenSSL 3.x users: Upgrade to version 3.6.3 or later. On Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssl (or obtain from your OS vendor)
- 3. For OpenSSL 4.x users: Upgrade to version 4.0.1 or later
- 4. Alternatively, apply the vendor patch from commit 131145d25659e8749a9ed1afb383484854cffb78 if building from source
- 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: openssl version -a
- 6. Ensure any applications using the updated OpenSSL library are restarted to load the new version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-35188 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-35188 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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